Mary Lu Coughlin

Mary Lu Coughlin sees herself primarily as an educator. Her venues have included: elementary schools, teacher conferences, nursing homes, food coop customers, county jail inmates, emergency food pantry families, and one favorite audience: Trappist nuns wanting to learn about laughter and hugging as a path to wellness. Since 1984 she has devoted her life to co-creating, first with her business partner and friend, Nancy B. Rez, RN, MA, a holistic healing center and bookstore, and now those considered co-founders are in the hundreds. Leilani Squire and her veterans' writing group currently add their energy to help lead Wellness Works Glendale into the 21st century. Always, the vision that holds her heart to the plow is creating an open space for soul-filled storytelling.

Keep Breathing

Only four years ago, Morrie Markoff began his fifth career. He wanted to write, be a writer. This weekend, he will participate in the L.A. Times Book Festival reading from his first published book. Clearly, at age 103, the title of the book comes as no surprise: Keep Breathing The interview with Steve Lopez captured my imagination. I was surprised and delighted by what touched me in this interview: Keep